Glasgow 2014: Team Nigeria Wrestlers Arrive Amidst High Expectations

The Nigerian wrestling contingent will be among the last batch of participants to arrive in Glasgow on Tuesday as preparation for the start of the championships heightens in Scotland.

The wrestlers, who have been on a training tour of Romania for over a week, comprises of 14 matsmen and seven officials.

Thousands of world’s top athletes have already arrived in the British colony ahead of the flag off the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games.

Team Nigeria, comprising of 127 athletes- 65 male and 62 female-, was expected to have their final debriefing by officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) ahead of the sporting events.

Team Nigeria Contingent Arrives Glasgow for Commonwealth Games.
Team Nigeria Contingent Arrives Glasgow for Commonwealth Games.

The team was led out of the country by an assistant director at the NSC, Dr. Emmanuel Igbinosa.

The Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s High Performance Centre, Eric Campbell, has expressed optimism about Nigeria’s medal chances in Glasgow.

The country won 10 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals at the previous Games held in Delhi.

Campbell said: “We have done the things that come along with high performances as well as the structures of the national championships and the selection process.”

The American expects the athletes to surpass the 15 gold medal target set by the NSC if they adhere to instructions.

“The DG is our leader, so if he wants 15 gold then hopefully we can exceed that. I don’t think you will be going for a competition expecting a warning to lose,” he added.

“To be specific and say gold medal is one thing, for us we want a new way of thinking by the country to understand that every single medal is important. Obviously to get the gold is to say that you are the best of the best; that is what we want to happen but our goal is to go in and get more medals.”

Nigeria will be competing in eight sports, including Athletics, Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling, Weightlifting, table Tennis, Para Athletics and Para Power-lifting in Glasgow.

Athletics has the highest number of representatives with 46 athletes (22 male, 24 female0 followed by Weightlifting with 16 athletes (eight male, seven female). Shooting has 15 athletes (nine male and seven female), while wrestling will be represented by 14 athletes (seven male, seven female).

Boxing has 11 athletes (eight male, three female) with Table Tennis having 10 athletes (five male, five female).

In the Para-athletics team are nine athletes (three male, six female), while Para-Power lifting has the least with six athletes (three male, three female).

Sportsmen and women from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories on arrival at the Glasgow airport are transported to the Athletes Village ahead of the opening ceremony tomorrow- starting 9:00pm till 11:00pm (Nigerian time).

NAN